Press release
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NOT FOR RELEASE , PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION , IN WHOLE OR IN PART , DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY , IN OR INTO OR FROM ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 888 HOLDINGS 888 Holdings Plc ( the " Company " and , together with its subsidiaries , " 888 " or " the Group " ) Acquisition of William Hill International Transformational Acquisition Creating a Global Leader with Significant Scale in the Fast - Growing Online Sports Betting and Gaming Industry 888 ( LSE : 888 ) , one of the world's leading online betting and gaming companies , announces that it has entered into an agreement with Caesars Entertainment , Inc. ( the " Seller " ) to acquire the international ( non - US ) business of William Hill ( " WHI " or " William Hill International " and , together with the Group , the " Enlarged Group " ) at an enterprise value of £ 2.2 billion ( the " Acquisition " ) . The Acquisition will create a global online betting and gaming leader by bringing together two highly complementary businesses and combining two of the industry's leading brands . The Acquisition represents a transformational opportunity for 888 to significantly increase its scale , further diversify its product mix and accelerate the upward shift of its revenue growth profile . The combination of 888 and WHI is expected to deliver significant operating efficiencies , including pre - tax cost synergies of at least £ 100 million per year¹ , leading to improved profit margins . On a pro forma normalised basis² the Enlarged Group's annual revenue and adjusted EBITDA in 2020 would have been $ 2.5bn and $ 464m , respectively . About William Hill International ● 9 September 2021 The Enlarged Group will be strongly growth - oriented , benefitting from a clear scale advantage and strong product and geographic diversification . With a focus on regulated markets , it will be able to offer customers world - class products , supported by leading betting and gaming brands , driving sustained growth and shareholder value creation over the medium and long - term . ● Founded in 1934 , William Hill is one of the UK's leading and most trusted bookmakers , with over 1,400 retail betting shops across the UK , and c.2 million active UK customers online . It is the number one betting brand in the UK in terms of awareness . For revenue market share , William Hill is a top - 3 brand in both Retail and Online sports betting . Its core territories in Europe are Italy , Spain and the Nordics , and it has recently launched in Latin America . Alongside the William Hill brand , WHI also operates the Mr Green brand across Europe . 2020 revenue of £ 1,157m ( Online £ 803m ; Retail £ 354m ) and adjusted EBITDA of £ 157m ( Online £ 176m ; Retail £ 15m ; Corporate costs £ ( 33 ) m ) ³ , 4 . The retail estate was closed for a significant portion of 2020 , reflecting disruption from COVID - 19 . Independent analysis suggests that this had a c . £ 83m impact on retail EBITDA , suggesting a total normalised 2020 EBITDA for WHI of c . £ 240m . Recent product improvements have driven a significant acceleration of growth , with H1-2021 online revenue growth of 38 % , including 56 % growth in the UK , delivering strong market share gains . Strategic highlights and rationale ● William Hill was a founding member of the Betting and Gaming Council in the UK , and is committed to customer protection and raising standards around safer gambling .